Art Criticism – Page 2 – Art reviews written by Valdosta State University students

Memories

Memories

By Iliana Liborio-Navidad

Gabby Fogarty said, “I am tired of crappy merchandise when I go on tours. I can make my own.” Fogarty is one of the seven seniors who presented at the senior art exhibition Spectrum. She was born and raised from Valdosta, Georgia and she currently finishing up her BFA major and minor in psychology. Fogarty’s art medium of interest is digital art, but she also creates colleges. Fogarty often looks at digital art, more specifically fan art and believes digital art is an accessible art medium. The content Fogarty watched such as anime, manga, and YouTube inspired her to draw. A youtuber who influenced her was Jazza, who used to be known as Drawing with Jazza. Jazza created content that involved art challenges and then ventured out into creating art courses and art boxes. Fogarty stated that Jazza is one of the reasons she wanted to improve as an artist and try as many art mediums as possible.

Adjani “AJ” Williams at VSU’s 2024 Spectrum Senior Exhibition

Written By: Torri Byrd

The artist standing besides his ten displayed artworks. — (Adjani “AJ” Williams Pictured with his work)

Adjani “AJ” Williams is a 21-year-old senior at Valdosta State University, originally from College Park, GA. Williams works in multimedia and chose to display a variety of different styles of art in this exhibition. His works are divided between photography, oil painting, and encaustic, but all reflect the same overall motive. When I asked Williams to describe his work in one word, he chose “evocative”, and explained that all of the things he displays are reflective of some kind of ego death. Ego death is in reference to the rebirth of a person from self reflection. Williams summed it up his ego death as having “a renewed focus on painting what I feel- painting ideas or concepts that I cannot explain with words.”

Art Spoken: The Valdosta National Exhibition

Noa-Sage Patrick

The Valdosta National Annual Juried Exhibition is being shown in the Dedo Maranville Gallery on the campus of Valdosta State University. According to the Juror of Art Spoken, Olivia Richardson shared that Art Spoken is, “a show shedding light onto the underrepresented voices and perspectives of artists across the United States and showcasing the talented students at Valdosta State University.”^[1] The exhibition featured artists such as Rick Yasko, Christine Hunt, and Stanley Obert and VSU students such as A’Shadrian Clayton, Vanessa I. Chavez, and Simon Gunnarson.

“ART SPOKEN” Exhibition Review

by Katie Holton

What is Art Spoken? Art Spoken is a term that allows artists in minorities, or artists who create things under controversial topics, a chance to showcase their art. An “Art Spoken” exhibition is open from January 10th-February 9th in the Dedo Maranville Art Gallery. The theme for this “Art Spoken” exhibition is a celebration of black art and artists. This was stated on the Gallery’s Instagram page; however, it was stated in the juror’s statement by Olivia Richardson that the exhibition was inclusive to everyone. Therefore, there was a wide range of artists featured in the gallery. One such artist is Aimee Fresia who creates art based on controversial topics, which can be seen on her Instagram page, and her painting Running Away is Always a Possibility was featured in the gallery. There were also artworks by Larry Sheffields, Study of a Kintuar-1, and A’Shadrian Claytons, Eden, who represented the theme of African American artists and art.

“SPECTRUM” Senior Exhibition Review

By Katie Holton

The “Spectrum” exhibition is being held in the Dedo Maranville Fine Arts Gallery April 7th through the 25th. This exhibition is for the senior Art majors at Valdosta State University to showcase their art accomplishments throughout their time at VSU. The name “Spectrum” was chosen to represent the students due to the wide array of talent and vibrant array of colors in the exhibition. I will argue that the different artists in the exhibition were successful, and whether or not the exhibition was successful.

Get To Know All The Seniors at Valdosta State University’s Senior Art Exhibition!

By: Natalie Marshall

“Farrago”, presented by the senior class of the Valdosta State University Department of Art & Design program takes place in the Dedo Maranville Gallery. In this exhibit, 14 seniors put together an exhibit that expressed who they were or something they felt passionate about. It allows the audience to see an assortment of different types of media varying from photography, to sculpture, printmaking, and more.

Laney Havard and the Meaning of Home

By Elizabeth Langford

What is the meaning of “Home”? Is it the house where we grew up in, the family we were born into, or perhaps the people we choose to surround ourselves with? These are questions Laney Havard, a Fine Arts major and senior at Valdosta State University, asks herself as she reflects on what the word means to her. She expresses these mixed emotions and feelings towards the idea of home through her artworks displayed in the 2023 Senior Exhibition. Havard’s multimedia pieces in the Dedo Maranville Gallery highlight her talents in multiple different mediums, and urges the viewer to ask themselves the question “What does home mean to me?”

Lakota Merlot- “Farrago” Senior Profile

by DaShaun Lewis

“I’m not sure what my process is. I kinda just let whatever happens happen. I’m passionate about it because it’s basically a hat my life revolves around at this point.”
Lakota Merlot

Lakota Merlot is an artist hailing from East Coast from Virginia to Key West. They were a hobbyist artist, making paintings and writing short stories before they came to VSU. Across their career, they became less involved with the physical and more into the digital, shifting to more digital-based artwork. One thing that has remained consistent was their love of mental health and horror as subjects. Mental health as a subject has always been around but has become much more prominent as a subject in postmodernism. Horror is more rare because of how deep and visceral it can be, but Lakota takes its darker, grungier aspects and humanizes them in their work. One facet of their personal life has become a leading subject in their work: their transition.

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Enchanted Forest by Raina Bellaeu

by Ariyana White

When you first approach this Enchanted Forest Fire exhibit by Raina Bellaeu in the Dedo Maranville Art Gallery at Valdosta State University, you are greeted by a sign saying,” “FREE DANGER TODAY” and “I DON’T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT.” The Minneapolis natives solo exhibit is a gesture towards the continuous forest fires in National Parks and how the living are affected. The significance of the shape of the greeting sign calls out the sites she is referring to where the damage is being done in those parks. This was the first of many symbols hinting about the presence of human involvement being the cause of the danger in the show. Ballaeu described her show as being “Disneyfied”.

Olivia Parsons

by Gonzalo Malagon

Olivia Parsons, a senior at Valdosta State University is preparing to showcase her work in the Senior Exhibition. Originally from Mint Hill, North Carolina, Olivia has been around art nearly her entire life. Her mother was a self taught interior designer who made sure to educate her children on art. Early on Olivia fell in love with art and being encouraged by her parents is what ultimately led to her decision to pursue art. She grew up near a farm and spent a lot of time outside, and she became enamored by the beauty of nature. The Impressionist movement is a big inspiration for her as it was the movement that brought importance to the everyday moment, and that is something that Olivia often tries to accomplish with her art. She likes to take a moment that lasts for two seconds and extend it so it can be reflected upon for years. A “painter of moments” as she describes herself, Olivia has chosen six moments to put on display at the Senior Exhibition.